Wrench.



0. J. JOHNSON.

WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED 8312125, 1913.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

my! a OSCAR J. JOHNSON, OF CLOQUET, MINNESOTA.

WRENCH.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

Application filed September 5, 1913. Serial No. 788,345.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OSCAR J. Jornvson, a

' subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Gloquet, in the county of Carlton and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

A disadvantage incidental to the use of wrenches heretofore proposed of the type employing a-movable jaw adjustable toward a fixed jaw, and fixed at adjustments by cooperating rack and catch means, resides in the fact that a required nicety of adjustment of the jaw is often not obtainable owing to the spacing of the teeth of the rack necessitating a positioning of the jaw at a point at which its gripping action is not wholly effective. It is with the aim of obviating ineflicient operation of the said class of wrenches that the following described improvements have been evolved, the same embodying essentially the utilization of a specially designed rack on the wrench shank engageablej by alternately acting holding catches, according to the particular adjustment required for the movable jaw.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the details ofthe invention will be understood on referring to the description supplied hereinafter and to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench embodying'the invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken about on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The wrench of the present invention comprises the usual main parts, namely the shank 1 having the handle 3 at one end and provided with the jaw 2 at its opposite end, a sliding jaw 4 being movable longitudinally of said shank intermediate the parts 2 and 3. Formed lengthwise of the shank 1 are the racks 1, the teeth and notches of each of-which are staggered with respect to those of the other. The sliding jaw 4 is formed with an o'ffstanding arm 5 which is supplied with openings in which sliding catches or .plungers -6 are mounted. The catches 6 extend from the point of their support upon the arm 5 through openings in a side of the hollow shank receiving portion of the jaw 4: and each catch is adapted to engage with an adjacent one of the racks l Mounted on the outer extremity of the arm 5 is a small finger manipulating lever 8 having laterally extending projections 8 of the catches 6. Coiled springs surround the catches 6 intermediate the outer portion of the arm 5 and the body of the jaw t and normally tend to project the catches into engagement with their respective racks. The lever 8 is pivotally supported on the arm 5 by the pivot member 9 and with the foregoing construction of the various parts in view the operation of the invention to be now set forth will be clearly understood.

Assuming that the jaw 2 of the tool has been engaged with the work, by depressing the outer end of the lever 8 the catches 6 will both be in disengaged relation to their racks 1*, thereby permitting the jaw 4 to be moved freely to the work. Owing to the staggered relation of the teeth of the racks 1 practically at any point at which the jaw 4 is positioned upon engaging the work, one or the other of the catches 6 will be opposite a notch located between the teeth of its rack l so that on releasing the lever 8 such catch may engage the opposite notch and lock the jaw 4 at the required adjustment. The catches 6 are adapted to move independently of one another owing to the provision of the slots therein through which the projections 8 of the lever 8 pass. As seen in Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 3 one of the catches 6 is holding the jaw 4: at an adjustment while the other catch is inactive for this purpose. The means employed for securing the desired adjustment of the wrench in engaging the same'with the work, is very simple according to the embodiment of'this invention and afiords many advantages from a practical standpoint which will be obvious having in view the above explanation of structure and operation of the wrench parts.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A wrench comprising a. shank having a stationary jaw and provided lengthwise thereof with'racks arranged in staggered relation, a jaw movable along the shank and having an ofi'standing arm provided with openings therein, spring-pressed pins slidably mounted in the openings of said arm which pass through slots in the outer ends of the latter with the racks, a lever pivoted to the arm aforesaid, and means on the lever engaging in the slots of said pins for operating the pins substantiallyias specified.

2. A Wrench comprising a shank having a stationary jaW and provided lengthwise thereof with adjacent racks arranged in staggered relation, a movable jaw adjustable on the shank, a pair of independent springpressed reciprocatory plungers mounted side by side on said movable jaw and arranged at their inner ends to engage said racks, said movable j aw having a guide arm common to Said plungers for guiding the movement of the same, an operating lever pivoted to the movable jaw, pin and slot connections inter- 15 mediate said operating lever and the outer ends of the plunger permitting movementof one plunger independently of the other plunger, and a handle carried by the shank.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 20 in presence of two Witnesses.

OSCAR J. JOHNSON.

Witnessesi V. J. MIoHAELsoN, ENOGH SWANSON.

topies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each} by addressing the Commissioner 10f Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

